


Lovers In Pittsburgh

by thatmitchsentho



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: AU, F/F, for sentimental reasons, side note: this is my fave fic I've ever written, where they meet and fall in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 20:55:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8815972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatmitchsentho/pseuds/thatmitchsentho
Summary: Aubrey Posen has a horrible day at work and stops off for a quiet drink. The girl behind the bar is sympathetic - and beautiful. The bad day turns into a happily ever after.





	1. The Sorrow And The Open Air

Aubrey Posen needed a drink. In the worst way. She'd just had one of the worst days of work she could remember in her legal career. After slaving for months as the second chair on a high profile case, the lead attorney made a stupid mistake that cost them the trial. Reassurances were made to her that it was clearly not her fault, but that didn't stop her name appearing alongside Figueroa's in the news stories.

Tradition would dictate that she join her co-workers for drinks after a case this size, and she wanted nothing more than a scotch on the rocks right now, but she had no desire to see the disguised frat boys she worked with. Figueroa would be wasted, because his ass got chewed the second they got back. Darke and Boon were always wasted, and it only took them two drinks to start hitting on the bar staff. Aubrey was one of three girls in the firm, the other two were clerks, and it pissed her off sometimes that at their post-case drinks, it was like a challenge to them to see if she'd take one of them home. She'd caved a few months back and confessed she didn't even like guys, but all it had gotten her was a drunken high five and the next drink free.

So she walked past the bar that they frequented, pulling her coat tighter around her. She walked a few blocks further and stopped at a quiet looking place called The Sorrow. It seemed a fitting name for the mood she was in, so she went inside and took off her coat, sitting at an end of the bar. A bubbly looking redhead in a navy button down approached her.

"What can I get you?" she asked. Aubrey looked up. She was startled for a moment to see that the redhead's eyes were a vibrant blue, enhanced only further by the navy fabric of the shirt.

"Scotch on the rocks," Aubrey said. "Thanks."

"Chivas or Walker?" she asked, pulling a glass from the counter and dumping the appropriate amount of ice.

"Walker Blue if you have it," Aubrey asked. The redhead winked.

"Of course we do," she said. She placed the drink in front of Aubrey, who pulled some money from her purse.

"No offense, but you seem a little down," the redhead said. "Rough day at work?"

"Definitely," she said, "Though you don't have to do the whole sympathetic bartender thing."

"In case you haven't noticed," the redhead said, "it's not like we're busy. Still a little early. So come on, scotch-on-the-rocks. Lay it on me. I like hearing people's stories." Aubrey regarded her for a moment, rattling the ice around in her glass.

"Aubrey," she said. "My name is Aubrey."

"Chloe," the redhead said, offering her hand with a smirk.

"It's not even anything that bad," Aubrey said. "I'm a lawyer. The lead counsel just screwed up this massive case, which happens. But I'll be forever attached to the case we lost because of a stupid mistake. And then we normally go out for drinks after we wrap up, but I just had no interest in sitting with a group of half drunk middle aged men waiting for them to hit on the girls behind the bar, or make some pathetic attempt at a pass at me. So I was walking past The Sorrow, and decided it was just enough of a narcissistic, melancholic name for a place I should be drinking in." Chloe smiled.

"Guys at work drive you mad?" she asked.

"They're just…. Such guys." Aubrey shook her head. "I'm sure you know what I mean. You're cute, you probably get hit on all the time." The redhead blushed, Aubrey following suit when she realized she'd told the relative stranger she thought she was cute.

"Oh, I get my share," she admitted slyly. "But they know it's not gonna happen. They just want a wink and a smile so they can dream about it."

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "I don't know, maybe I just need to get out of lawyerville. I know lawyers, legal clerks, judges, county clerks, bail officers. And they're all kind of the same."

"You don't work with many girls?" Chloe asked. She was leaning on the bar with her elbows, chin resting in her hands. Aubrey didn't want to notice the way her breasts were popping up into the space vacated by the open buttons of the shirt. But she was only human.

"I have two female colleagues," Aubrey said. "The firm is twelve lawyers, twelve paralegals, six clerks and six secretaries. Three women, and I'm one."

"Ouch," Chloe said. Aubrey drained her glass. "Do you like being a lawyer?"

"I love it," Aubrey said, an involuntary smile spreading across her face. "I love the law. What it means. What it stands for. I'm just wallowing."

"I believe you," Chloe said. "Because your eyes just lit up. They're super pretty by the way. You should smile more often. But I'm not going to let you order another scotch." She drummed her nails on the bar.

"Why not?" Aubrey asked, eyes on her hands.

"Because I know something that'll make you feel better and won't end up with you wasting a weeknight at a bar, but is perfect for wallowing," Chloe said. "If you're feeling adventurous."

"You're working," Aubrey pointed out.

"Martin!" she called suddenly. A middle aged man stuck his head out. "I'm on break." He nodded.

"I don't know," Aubrey said. She wasn't too far off changing her mind, though. The redhead was seriously cute, and she projected some sort of energy that Aubrey found attractive.

"Aubrey scotch-on-the-rocks, you can trust me. I'll have you feeling better in half an hour," she said. Aubrey shrugged and nodded.

"Why not?" she said.

"Exactly. Why not?" Chloe came from around the bar, and held a side door open. Aubrey went out first, Chloe grabbing her own coat. It was chilly, and the redhead's cheeks were soon pink with cold. Chloe led her down the side of the block, chattering the whole time. She learned Chloe tended bar to help pay for art school, where she studied photography. Soon enough, Chloe stopped and disappeared into a shop, coming back out with a paper sack. She led her to a stairway on the side of a building.

"Don't worry I come here all the time," Chloe said.

"That's technically trespassing," Aubrey said out of habit, even though she had a feeling like she'd follow this girl anywhere.

"I won't tell if you won't," Chloe said, winking. Aubrey flushed. "Besides, the super knows I come up here. He doesn't say anything, I sling him a beer occasionally on the house."

"Well, now there's a certain level of expectation," Aubrey said. Chloe didn't hear her though, she was already standing at the roof edge, silently gazing out. "Wow."

Aubrey had lived in Pittsburgh for four years, but she'd never seen it like this. Lights spread out in rows before her. The water was dim but reflected the lights like glass. It was gorgeous.

"Pretty neat, huh?" the redhead said.

"How did you know this was here?" Aubrey asked.

"I live in that building over there," Chloe said, turning Aubrey and pointing to a building a little way away. "My window gets a similar view. But the open air here, I like it. So, part two." She let her hand slide down Aubrey's arm, a much more intimate gesture than would be normal between two strangers. She opened the paper sack and produced Ben and Jerry's, two spoons.

"Are you serious, Chloe?" Aubrey said. "It's like fifteen degrees."

"Eating ice-cream in the cold is a great way to remind you that you're alive," Chloe said. She opened the tub, and handed Aubrey a spoon. "Eat. Ice cream is made for wallowing." Aubrey took the spoon and the two girls dug in. She leaned against the edge of the rooftop and looked out, taking a deep breath.

"Do you feel better?" Chloe asked. Aubrey turned. The redheads lips were pursed around the spoon. Aubrey nodded.

"I do. Thank you for bringing me here." Chloe reached out and took her hand.

"Any time," she said, lips curling into a smile. She set the ice cream down. "You know, I don't bring anybody else up here."

"You don't?" Aubrey was watching the redhead closely. Her heart thudded as the strange girls eyes met hers.

"Nope. But it's not every day you meet a gorgeous blonde lawyer who drinks Scotch and has beautiful green eyes," Chloe said, biting her lip. "Who thinks I'm cute."

"Gorgeous?" Aubrey was being drawn in by this woman.

"Oh you're definitely that, Aubrey scotch-on-the-rocks," she teased. "I can see why your workmates keep hitting on you."

"Posen," Aubrey said. "My last name is Posen." Her eyes drifted to the redhead's lips.

"Okay, Aubrey Posen. Would it be awfully forward of me if I kissed you?" she said, leaning in.

"It would," Aubrey said, resting a hand on her waist. "But I might like that, Chloe…"

"Beale," the redhead said, closing the gap between them. Aubrey was surprised at how warm Chloe was, considering the chill of the air and the ice cream they'd been eating. But she was, and she was sweet and vaguely sticky like the chunks of cookie dough in the dessert.

Chloe's hand dipped under her coat and sat gently on her hip as they navigated one another. Aubrey took her hand and gently tugged at Chloe's gorgeous hair before they broke apart. Aubrey shook her head.

"What?" Chloe asked, still right up in her face.

"It seems ironic that I should find you working in a place called The Sorrow," she mused. "Because you gave me ice cream and open air, and I don't remember why I was upset in the first place."

"Then I win," Chloe said. "Because I promised to make you feel better in half hour or less. Speaking of which… Will you walk me back to the bar? I'll call you a cab."

"What makes you think I don't want to stay and have another drink?" Aubrey said, as they began their walk back.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Chloe said. She reached out and took Aubrey's hand, their fingers interlacing naturally. "I'd feel bad ignoring you when we get busy. But I don't work tomorrow. I could meet you there, same time?"

"I would really like that." They walked the rest of the way in silence, Chloe's thumb brushing over her skin. When they approached the door, Chloe pulled her in for another quick kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Aubrey Posen," she said, winking. "Let me call you that cab." Aubrey just followed the girl with her eyes, then her feet, back into The Sorrow, but feeling infinitely better.


	2. Call Me Whatever

For their sixth date, Chloe asked Aubrey to accompany her to a showing that would feature some of her works. Aubrey had accepted, of course, because she was finding that after twenty-four days she wanted to see as much of Chloe as possible. She had yet to see any of Chloe's photography, and she wondered what things might look like through Chloe's wide blue eyes.

She had counted the rooftop as their first official date, with dates two through five being dinners stolen on nights when Chloe didn't need to be at the bar and Aubrey wasn't buried under stacks of motions. Each had finished with soft, unhurried kisses against one of their doorframes, and Aubrey would spend the next day thinking about the redheads lips and the way her hair looked under street lights.

She was perusing her wardrobes options when it struck her that she had no idea what the dress code even was for this. Was it some black tie high art thing, or an urban, grungy thing in a warehouse? She sighed and texted Chloe.

_What's the dress code on this thing?_

Her phone rang.

"Aubrey, I can't believe I didn't tell you that. Seems sort of vital," the redhead apologized. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I have options for just about everything," Aubrey said. "I just didn't know what kind of gallery this was."

"Cocktail," Chloe said. "Do you have enough time if I say cocktail? I'm supposed to pick you up in thirty minutes."

"That's plenty long enough," Aubrey said. "Don't worry, I'll be ready."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Okay." The blonde picked up on the tension in her voice.

"Are you nervous?" Aubrey asked.

"Would I be stupid to say yes?" Chloe chuckled. "It's my first showing at somewhere that wasn't a dirty co-op."

"It's okay to her nervous," Aubrey said. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm still nervous the first day of every trial."

"You are?"

"Sure," Aubrey said. "One of our founding partners swears he can't start a trial without Valium the night before, and he's been a lawyer twenty nine years. But my mom used to say that if something makes you nervous, you can be certain that it's important to you. Because only the things that matter most get to us like that. And it's okay to be nervous, because things should matter to us, if we're lucky enough to be doing something that we love." There was a brief silence.

"I actually feel a lot calmer hearing that. Thank you."

"You're welcome. See you soon." Aubrey quickly chose a dress and some heels, and before she knew it, she was dressed and ready to go. Chloe tooted the horn and Aubrey bundled out to the car in her coat, the unseasonable evening chill gently tickling her bare face and hands.

"Hey," she said, sliding into the car and pecking Chloe on the cheek. "How are you feeling now?"

"I feel ready," Chloe said. "I do have one quick matter of discussion."

"What's on your mind?"

"Well, a lot of people will probably ask who you are tonight," Chloe said. "Because you're not normally with me at these sorts of things. And I would really like it if I was able to call you my girlfriend, if that's okay with you." Aubrey broke out into a broad grin.

"I would love it if you told them that." Chloe kissed her, carefully avoiding smudging either of their makeup.

"Ok. Now I'm completely ready."

The gallery turned out to be relatively new, and a smiling man checked their coats as they arrived. Aubrey was helped out of her coat and immediately the redhead was arching her eyebrow and biting her lip. "What? Too much?"

"No," Chloe said. "You had your coat on before. You look... wow. Beautiful." Aubrey blushed. Chloe doled out words like beautiful easily and for someone with self esteem like Aubrey, it took a little getting used to.

"Thank you," she said shyly. "Though you're not so bad yourself." Chloe was wearing a blue that only served to enhance her eyes further, rimmed with dark liner and lashes. Six dates in, and Aubrey was already a sucker for those eyes. She leaned across and kissed her softly. Chloe smiled at her and led her across to the part of the gallery where her photos were hanging.

"Chloe, you took these?" Aubrey asked, impressed. "They're... incredible." Chloe seemed to have a thing for photographing the worn, weathered and ruined. Not in a gaudy, decomposing way, but in a way that hunter at their former glory.

"Thank you," Chloe said.

"Where is this?" she asked, pointing to the ruins of what must have been a church, with faded, aged stained glass and moss growing through the floorboards.

"Last summer I took a trip through Europe. This was in Holland. I was actually a bit lost, and found it on a hillside," she said.

"I like this one," Aubrey said. "There's something kind of aching about it." Chloe smiled and grasped her hand.

Eventually the room filled up and Chloe was engaged by patrons and photographers alike. Aubrey met a number of them, broadly smiling each time Chloe introduced her as her girlfriend. She bumped into a client of the firm, thankfully one she had successfully defended, and made small talk about arts funding with a councilman and an investor for the gallery. She made the effort to keep up with Chloe, walking past and squeezing her hand, offering to get her a drink, and once just to whisper that she felt incredibly lucky to have such a talented girlfriend.

As the night approached a late hour, Chloe found Aubrey chatting to an instructor from one of Chloe's classes by the bar. "Hey," the blonde said. "Just hearing about what a brilliant student you are." Chloe blushed.

"Don't blush, Chloe," the man said. "You have a knack for capturing life in its glory, even if it has somewhat faded from view."

"Thank you," she said simply. "And for the opportunity to show here."

"It's nothing," he said. "Did you meet Alex Martinez?" Chloe shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Aubrey, may I steal her for a moment? She must meet Alex." Aubrey gestured for them to move. Aubrey nursed her wine until the redhead returned, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Oh my god Aubrey," she said, "This Alex guy bought four of my photos. He wants to sponsor a show in a few months just of my work." Aubrey threw her arms around the girl and pressed a kiss to the side of her face.

"Congratulations," she said. "You deserve it, Chlo, you're amazing." Chloe pulled back and Aubrey was struck by the radiant sparkle of her eyes. She kissed her, not anything that would push the PDA status into excessive, but enough that she felt Chloe lean into her.

"Hmmm," she murmured happily. "This is pretty close to the top of my list of favorite nights."

"You have a list?"

"I have two others," she said. "One was from when I was in Europe and it involved a sunset in Greece, a couple of old ladies who cooked more food than I've ever seen in my life and a street party."

"Sounds like a hell of a time. What was the other?"

"The night you walked into The Sorrow," she said. "I dunno. It felt big. I feel like we're going to be big." She brushed a soft kiss to Aubrey's lips.

"I feel it, too," she said.

"I'm glad," Chloe replied. "And I'm glad you're letting me call you my girlfriend."

"It's better than scotch-on-the-rocks, or even Aubrey Scotch-on-the-rocks," she teased. "Though I'm pretty sure you could call me whatever you like and I'd answer."

"Good to know," Chloe said. "Though, right now, I'd say we've both had too much to drive so I might just call us a cab. Want to get out of here?" Her hand trailed lightly down Aubrey's arm. The blonde could only nod in response as the redhead led her toward the coat check station.


	3. Liquid Courage

Aubrey knocked on Chloe's door a little nervously. She'd gotten a phone call from the redhead two days before asking her to come to dinner and meet some old friends from back home. She cradled the wine in her arm and smiled radiantly as her girlfriend opened the door, still managing to be stunned by her blue eyes.

"Hey," Chloe said. She kissed her on the cheek. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Aubrey said. She came in and took her coat off. "I'm so glad that case is done."

"Beca! Jesse! Get the hell out here!" she called. A short brunette stuck her head out of the kitchen, and a split second later a man stuck his head out over the woman's.

"You must be Aubrey," the woman said, coming out. She was short, and wore dark eyeliner, skinny jeans and heavy boots. Aubrey could see at least two tattoos, and her ears held an unusual collection of adornment. She was almost the anti-Chloe.

"Duh," Chloe said, squeezing Aubrey's hand. "Aubrey Posen, Beca Mitchell and Jesse Swanson." Beca shook her hand, but Jesse hugged her. Aubrey thought they looked like a weird match, Jesse and Beca.

"We've heard a lot about you, Aubrey," Beca said. "Don't worry, all good." Chloe was beaming.

"Well that's mildly terrifying," Aubrey chuckled. "I hope I live up to the hype."

"Dinner's almost ready," Jesse said. "Chloe said you like Thai. Hope you don't mind some green curry."

"Jesse fancies himself a bit of a chef," Chloe said. "Which works out well for us, since none of us girls can cook."

"I can cook a little," Aubrey said. "I just never have the time for it, and it's the last thing I want to be thinking about at the end of the day." Beca smiled.

"I'll admit it, my skills are limited to Pop Tarts and microwave mac and cheese," she said. "Let's be real, it's pretty much the only reason I'm marrying this weirdo."

"Hey!" Jesse pouted. Beca stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"You know I'm just teasing," she said. He wrinkled his nose, arm around her waist.

"Yeah, babe, I know," he said. "Why don't you girls sit down and I'll serve up dinner?"

"How long have you guys been together?" Aubrey asked as they took their places at the table.

"Since freshman year of college," Beca said.

"I've known Beca and Jesse since my senior year," Chloe said. "Beca and I were in acapella together at Barden University." Aubrey had already learned that Chloe had obtained a degree in communications before she started art school.

"Way to lead with the nerdiest thing we ever did, Beale," Beca said, rolling her eyes.

"Acapella?" Aubrey said. This was the first she'd heard of acapella.

"It was cooler than it sounds," Chloe said. "We won the national title senior year. Beca won four titles with the Bellas, that's not something to be ashamed of."

"Especially since your girls crushed my acapella group every year doing so," Jesse said a little proudly, bringing the food in.

"I see," Aubrey said, "It's like a cult. You all are going to try and abduct me and make me sing Carrie Underwood songs and do synchronized dances. If I wake up tomorrow with a missing kidney and a fetish for Mariah Carey, I'm coming after you." Beca laughed.

"That's how I felt at first," Beca said. "But it was kind of cool. Do you sing?"

"Showers and cars only," Aubrey said. Chloe shook her head.

"I keep telling her that she has a great voice but she doesn't believe me," Chloe said.

"We should try that karaoke bar a few blocks from here," Jesse said casually. Chloe let out a squeal that caused Beca to roll her eyes again. Aubrey felt like their relationship might be a gentle yin and yang – Chloe all bubbly and positive, Beca snarky and blunt.

"Aubrey, we should! Let's do karaoke," she begged. Aubrey was hesitant. She did like to sing, and people had told her growing up that she had a lovely voice, but she hadn't sung for an audience in years. She picked up the wine off the table.

"I'm going to need to have consumed at least some alcohol if there's going to be singing involved," she muttered. Jesse clapped her on the shoulder.

"Great," Beca drawled sarcastically.

"Shut up Beca, you pretend you hate it, but we practically had to drag you offstage at the Gaslight in LA," Chloe teased. Beca rolled her eyes as they went back to eating their dinner.

The karaoke bar around the corner ended up being a bigger deal than Aubrey had expected – it was ninety percent full by the time they got there. Beca snagged them a booth and Jesse disappeared to get drinks.

"What are you going to sing?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know," Aubrey said. "What about you?"

"Hmmm. Um, I'm going to sing something entirely cheesy," Chloe said. "Probably Taylor Swift."

"Oh God," Beca said. "You and your fucking T-Swift."

"Hey, I own at T-Swift," Chloe shot back. "What are you going to sing, Miss Thing?"

"I'll let Aubrey pick. Alright Blondie, here are the options. 99 Problems, 212 or No Diggity," she said.

"Oh, No Diggity for sure," Aubrey said. "Although you don't seem very Blackstreet to me." Chloe laughed.

"Jesse will do something fun," Chloe said. "Aubrey, you should sing Love Song. You sound good doing Sara Bareilles." Jesse returned with four drinks. Aubrey downed the whiskey quickly.

"Alright," she said. "One more drink and I might be inebriated enough to let my guard down. Sign me up." Chloe kissed her and bounded out of the booth to sign them all up. There were a few other patrons who were in the queue before them, but before long, it was Chloe's turn to get up and sing.

The redhead did a good job of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, having fun onstage and not taking it seriously. The crowd seemed to eat up the energy, but Aubrey had observed that the entire atmosphere in the bar was positive – they'd cheered enthusiastically for everyone on stage. Beca got up next, trademark smirk in place, and began to rap through the start of No Diggity. When she began singing, Aubrey was impressed. The tiny brunette had a killer voice and just enough swagger to pull off a nineties hip hop song. She finished the song and gestured for the crowd to applaud louder.

Jesse was up next and Beca hung down by the side of the stage as he sang Maroon 5's Payphone. "You guys are all really good singers," Aubrey said to Chloe. "I'm not sure I can do this after hearing you all."

"You're just as good as I am, Aubrey," Chloe said. "Plus, the key is to have fun. Then everyone else has fun." They watched as Jesse sang his way through the song.

"Do they do this often?" Aubrey asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "Beca lives for music. It's how she sees the world. Jesse scores films. So music is kind of their thing." Jesse's song was finishing up, and Chloe turned to Aubrey.

"It's all you," she said. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"Oh, I may as well. It can't be any harder than court," Aubrey said. She picked up Chloe's vodka cran and downed what was remaining. "Ok. Ready." She made her way up to the stage where the host was waiting and took the proffered mic. Chloe made her way down to where Jesse and Beca were watching, and they watched as Aubrey began to sing.

"Hey, she's good," Beca said after hearing the first few lines.

"Really good," Jesse added. Chloe was beaming broadly, and the blonde sought them out in the crowd. Aubrey kept singing, feeding off of the energy in the room. Chloe was enthralled by her girlfriend. She'd grown more comfortable letting go around Chloe, but this was the first time the redhead had seen her let loose in such a large crowd. She looked happy, and beautiful. When she was done, Beca stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly over the clapping, and Aubrey joined them on the floor. Chloe threw her arms around her.

"That was amazing," she said. "You looked like you had a great time up there."

"I did," Aubrey said.

"That was awesome," Jesse said.

"Yeah, you got skills, Posen," Beca said. "I'd be branching your repertoire out of confined spaces." They made their way back to the table and got another round of drinks.

"I just figured, I've argued in court dozens of times, sometimes with this many people. And tonight is just like that, except there's alcohol and nobody goes to jail after, so it can't be that hard," she explained.

"Unless you're doing karaoke with Fat Amy," Beca said. Aubrey looked confused, but Chloe and Jesse both burst out laughing.

"Oh, I need to tell you some Fat Amy stories," Chloe said.

"Why do you call her Fat Amy?" Aubrey asked.

"So twig bitches like us don't do it behind her back," Beca quipped. "Her words. She's literally the funniest person alive. And the funnest. But as a result, the most likely to get arrested on a night out. Not that the charges ever stick. Because she can talk her way out of anything."

"She sounds like quite the character," Aubrey said. "I think I'd like to meet her."

They continued on at the bar for a while, Jesse got up to sing again, and then Beca was convinced to get up also, doing a pretty solid rendition of 99 Problems. Chloe and Aubrey just watched from the booth, the redhead leaning over to speak into Aubrey's ear over the music, and a lightly drunk Aubrey's hand delicately dancing up Chloe's thigh. Her fingertips were tracing patterns on the inside of her thigh, and Chloe was saying that Aubrey had better be careful what she started in public when the song ended. Beca and Jesse were making their way back toward them when they saw the two of them, Chloe still leaning right into Aubrey, and the blonde not taking her eyes off of her for a second.

"They're hot together," Beca said. "I like that Chlo found someone who makes her happy."

"Yeah," Jesse said. "God knows she needed that after Barden. Although, I think they might be moving it past a PG-13 rating." Beca caught sight of where Aubrey's hand was and smirked, shaking her head.

"Let's call it a night then," Beca said, striding up the table. Chloe agreed, eyes locked on Aubrey, and the four of them made their way back to Chloe's. Jesse took his coat off and slung it around Beca, pulling her into him as they walked. Chloe was holding Aubrey's hand, leaned against her shoulder slightly and just quietly enjoying the cool night. When they got back to Chloe's, they separated and Chloe tugged Aubrey into the bedroom unceremoniously, kissing her fiercely.

"You, Aubrey Posen, are a handsy drunk," she accused, tone giving away that she didn't mind it one bit.

"Not normally," Aubrey said, pushing the dress off Chloe's shoulders. "But you do things to me." She brought her lips to Chloe's shoulder, skirting along and up her neck. Chloe's head tilted back as she gently nipped at her neck.

"How soundproof are your walls?" Aubrey murmured.

"My last roommate had her boyfriend over every night and I never heard a thing," Chloe said. "So, pretty soundproof."

"Good," Aubrey said. She ran her hands down Chloe's sides and pushed her toward the bed.


	4. As Easily As She Breathes

Chloe awakened just after lunchtime after a particularly long and rough night at The Sorrow. She sat up groggily and tried to rouse herself into a state where she would be able to make her way to the bathroom without walking into a wall. After washing and standing under the scalding spray for a while, she dressed in jeans and a sweater, grabbed a coat and headed across the street for coffee.

The barista took her order and then, looking awkward, said "Are you Chloe?"

"Yeah," she said uncertainly.

"A blonde was in here this morning and she said that a redhead with bright blue eyes would be in just after lunch, and her name would be Chloe," he said. He pulled out an envelope. "She said to give you this."

"Oh," she said. "Thanks." She waited for her coffee and then sat in a corner table, pulling the envelope open.

_Good morning beautiful,_

_I figured you'd be here not long after you woke up. You told me yesterday you were out of coffee and you wouldn't have had time yet to get any more. And yes, I could have just come and seen you before I went to work, but when we talked last night you sounded so tired and stressed, so I thought it'd be better to let you sleep._

_I just wanted to let you know that I find it hard to get to sleep when you're not next to me. I miss being able to reach out and know you're there, even when we're both half asleep. And I miss being able to hold you. And I know it's ridiculous because we've only been together a little while, and this is what, the second night in two weeks we haven't spent together? All the same._

_Aubrey_

_PS – Don't forget about dinner with William tonight. I'll pick you up at six thirty. xox_

Chloe smiled at the page, finger tracing some of Aubrey's handwriting. The blonde constantly left her notes – little messages attached to the coffeemaker in her kitchen, on the pillow if she'd left for work early. She adored that about Aubrey.

She hadn't forgotten about dinner either. Aubrey had told her a few days ago that her brother William would be in town on business, and she would really love for them to meet each other. Chloe was immediately in, she often wondered what William must be like if he was the only person in Aubrey's family she kept in contact with. They'd talked a lot about their respective families and childhoods, and Aubrey confessed that William was the only person she could say she loved out loud.

That was interesting to Chloe, because she'd not yet said those words to her. She wasn't waiting on them, or pressuring Aubrey into saying them. Sure, she'd told the blonde she loved her, but she also _knew_ her. Knew that for her, saying those three words were a much bigger deal than for herself. She knew Aubrey loved her, though. She knew it every time she read a little note she'd left, every time she brought her coffee or stopped by The Sorrow on afternoons she worked, just to say hi.

The day passed quickly, and before long Aubrey was introducing Chloe to her big brother. "Chloe Beale, my brother William. William, this is my girlfriend Chloe." The man favored Aubrey in most ways. He was tall, blonde and had the same cool gaze. She shook his hand, and they were shown to a table where he helped both of them with their chairs.

It went fairly smoothly to start. William asked Chloe about college and art school, and Chloe asked him about his work as a civil engineer, and his wife and son. After they'd ordered and were waiting for their meals, Aubrey excised herself to go to the bathroom. Chloe looked over at William expectantly. She was expecting him to make full use of this time to do the brotherly thing.

"So you and Aubrey have been together for a few months now," he said casually. "It's getting serious?"

"I can't speak for her, but yes, I'm serious about Aubrey," she said. "What's not to be serious about? She's intelligent, charming, passionate, engaging, beautiful… Only an idiot wouldn't take her seriously."

"I do like that you listed five things and only one of them was in regards to how she looks," he said smiling. "And she certainly does sound very happy when I've spoken to her."

"Good," the redhead responded.

"Obviously you've talked about how our parents feel about her dating women," he said, frowning at the table. "I'll make no apologies for them. I'm afraid that neither of us have anything to do with them any more. And it's taken both of us a while to readjust ourselves accordingly."

"What do you mean exactly?" Chloe asked.

"It was a bizarre childhood," William said. "Sure, we didn't want for things. But children and teenagers need more than things. They need affection, and encouragement. The only person I ever felt close to until I met my wife was Aubrey."

"She speaks of you the same way," Chloe said. "And I love that she adores you."

"She doesn't love easily," William said. "An unfortunate result of our childhood." Chloe screwed up her nose and shook her head.

"I'm afraid I'm going to disagree with that," she said, fingers tapping the stem of the wine glass. "She loves very easily. I've never doubted for second that she loves me."

"She's actually said the words?" William said, surprised. Chloe's brow furrowed.

"She doesn't need to," she said simply. "Aubrey says far more with her actions than she ever says with words." William looked intrigued by the redhead, and neither of the two could see that Aubrey was waiting just barely out of sight.

"Forgive me if it's too personal," Chloe said. "But I know Aubrey loves me. Because she reminds me to eat when I'm spending hours retouching photos. Sometimes she wakes up when I come in from The Sorrow even when I've told her she doesn't have to, just so she can hear how work was before we go to sleep. I feel it in the way her hand sits on mine when we're out at dinner, in the way she looks at me from across a room. The way that she always walks me to my door if we're not spending the night together. She's learned little details not just about me, but about some of my oldest friends, like that Beca takes her coffee black, Amy is from Launceston in Tasmania, or that Cynthia Rose has a fascination with Tarantino films. It doesn't matter what she says to me, William, because it's clear to me when we're in bed together she wraps an arm around me and kisses the back of my shoulder, and as we wake up she never minds that I'm clingy and usually draped all over her and hogging the blankets. And I love her just as much." The elder Posen sibling was struck dumb for a moment listening to Chloe speak of his sister. Clearly the woman had brought out an intimate, affectionate side of her, and he was more than a little moved by it. The fact that Chloe's eyes were so earnest and vivid as she spoke just made him realize that the relationship they had was far more serious than he had realized.

"I'm glad," he said softly. "I feel like you're the right person for her, Chloe." Aubrey, still hidden from view, was smiling broadly and wiping tears from her eyes. When she composed herself, she returned to their table, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek before she took her seat.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful. They chatted as they ate, William not missing the way his sister only had eyes for the redhead, the way her hand was sitting on Chloe's knee softly. Soon enough William was apologizing for having to return to the hotel so he'd get enough sleep to make his morning flight. Aubrey hugged her brother tightly, and then Chloe hugged him also. He whispered in her ear.

"You're right," he murmured. "She loves you as easily as she breathes."

"And I love her," she reassured him. He farewelled them, and Chloe drove them back to Aubrey's place. As they prepared for bed, Aubrey found herself watching Chloe. She thought back to what she'd overheard about Chloe never doubting her love. She stood and wrapped her arms around the redhead, who had just finished tying her hair back. Chloe hugged her back.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"Because even though I've never said it out loud you've never doubted it," Aubrey said softly, pulling back to look into her eyes.

"You overheard us?" Chloe asked.

"A little," she confessed. "But I want you to know, Chloe, that I do. I love you." She said it quietly, but firmly. Chloe smiled at her.

"You said it," she said. "You know you don't have to, though."

"I know," Aubrey responded. "And the fact that you understand that just makes it easier to say it to you." She kissed her chastely.

"I love you, too," Chloe said, and led her to the bed.


	5. Cold Outside, Warm Inside

Aubrey Posen looked out of the window, her breath fogging the window in little puffs as she looked out at the wintery scene before her. Pittsburgh was blanketed in snow, the third heavy fall of the season but definitely the worst. It was falling steady and fast. The weather channel was forecasting that it wouldn't let up for a few days yet, and the local news was warning everyone to try and avoid holiday travel and stay indoors. It suited Aubrey just fine. She turned back to the bed, pulling the light blanket around her a little tighter.

"You could always just get back in," said the bed's current occupant. Chloe was Aubrey's girlfriend of six months now. It hadn't been very long, but both women were incredibly invested in the relationship, to the point where they had both declined invitations from their respective families to spend Christmas with them in favor of spending it alone together. They'd put a little tree up in the corner of Aubrey's living room at the start of the month, walked the streets of Pittsburgh during the following weeks looking at window displays and lights, getting pink cheeked and chilled to the bone.

"In a sec," Aubrey said. "The city looks beautiful right now."

"You look beautiful right now," Chloe said. She slipped out of the bed and darted across to her girlfriend, not fast enough to stop the chill seeping in to her bare skin. Aubrey wrapped her arms, and the blanket, around her, pulling her in close, gently nuzzling in to the redhead's neck. "You're right. More lights. The white just makes it reflect more. But god it sounds cold out there with all that wind."

"It does, doesn't it?" Aubrey agreed. "Are you still glad you're not in Florida with your family?" Chloe craned her neck back and planted a kiss on Aubrey's cheek.

"Yes," she said definitively. Unlike Aubrey's family, Chloe's family actually enjoyed spending holidays together. The redhead had spun tales of her grandpa dressing up as Santa when she was a child, of helping string lights across their house and spending the day wearing silly hats and knitted jumpers. Aubrey loved to hear the stories – it made up for her own Christmas memories of a gift left wrapped fastidiously on her desk; it was normally a book or something equally practical. Her mother would be home, sometimes her dad, but dinner was often just her and her brother sitting side by side eating a meal prepared by the housekeeper.

So even though William had extended his offer to come and spend the holidays with him, his wife and their son, she'd turned it down in favor of hopefully starting a new tradition with the redhead in her arms. It was Christmas Eve, and since courts were essentially shut down, she'd been able to spend the entire day with Chloe. They'd made cookies together, prepared what they could of the next day's meal, cuddled up under a blanket with hot chocolate and watched _Elf_ , which Chloe had assured Aubrey was the greatest Christmas movie of all time. Then they'd shared a little wine and slow danced to some covers of Christmas carols before falling into bed together. And now they were in each other's arms watching as Christmas Eve turned to Christmas Day amidst the snowfall outside.

A clock softly beeped somewhere further in the house, signifying that the day had changed, and Aubrey gently turned her girlfriend around in her arms, still holding her close. "Merry Christmas, Chlo." She kissed her softly, squirming only a little as the redhead's cold hands rested on her waist.

"Merry Christmas, Bree," she replied. "Jump back into bed, I'm going to get presents. We'll unwrap them now and sleep in."

"I'll go," Aubrey said.

"No," Chloe said. "You've been out longer than me. I'll be quick." She kissed Aubrey's nose and dashed into the dark, her naked body disappearing into the shadowed hall. Aubrey got back into bed, and pulled back the cover for Chloe's re-entry. The redhead was back in a flash, balancing their presents to one another in her arms, with a plate of sugar cookies on top.

"Chloe, it's midnight," Aubrey said.

"Yeah, but it's Christmas," Chloe reasoned, shrugging and biting a snowman's head off. "Merry Christmas." She handed Aubrey her present. She watched as the blonde unwrapped her gifts, pulling out a set of books. She looked at the titles, and simultaneously laughed and began tearing up. Of course Chloe would buy something like this.

"One of my favorite stories you've told is how you and William used to while away afternoons sitting in the house reading The Magic Faraway Tree books together," Chloe said. "That you guys came to count some of the characters as the family you wanted. And I noticed that you don't even have a copy of them here, so it seemed fitting. And then there's the other one."

"The other one?" Aubrey cocked an eyebrow. Chloe reached behind her to the bedside table and pulled out a smaller wrapped item, another book. Aubrey opened it. It was a leather bound journal, but Chloe had already filled most of the pages with either photos she'd taken of the two of them – accompanied by stories about the moment it was taken in her curly handwriting – or pages detailing the traditions she wanted to start with the blonde, complete with illustrations.

"Christmas traditions," Aubrey read, "Sugar cookies, _Elf_ , wine and being together." Clearly photography wasn't Chloe's only artistic ability; the redhead had sketched out a scene that looked much like what they'd done that day.

"Chloe, this is gorgeous," she said. "I love it."

"I left some of the pages blank," Chloe said. "When we make more traditions, I'll record them in there as well. Like our own little history." Aubrey kissed her hard.

"Open yours," she said. She watched the redhead tear through the paper to find a small box and a book of some kind. She turned the book over – it was a thick diary with one day to a page.

"It looks like it's just a diary, but it's not," Aubrey said. "Open it." Chloe quirked an eyebrow and complied, seeing that each page was filled with the blonde's steady handwriting.

"What is this?" she asked.

"I know I'm still not much of a talker," Aubrey mumbled. "But I want you to know exactly how much I love you. So this will mean you'll be able to read one reason I love you for every day of the year. I could fill a hundred of these things."

"I love that you don't even pretend you're not crying during Disney movies," she read aloud from one of the pages. "It's just one of the things that reminds me of how big your heart is, and how deep your compassion." She attacked Aubrey in a passionate kiss.

"I'm glad you like it," Aubrey murmured against her mouth.

"Like it? It's the best gift I've ever received," she said. She opened the tiny box and found a silver ring inside, a plain band with some kind of etching.

"I found this guy who can engrave wave forms on rings," Aubrey said. "That's what it looks like when I say I love you." Chloe ran a fingertip over the ring, engrossed by the etchings.

"That's so beautiful," Chloe said. She moved all of their gifts off the bed, flicked off the lamp and pulled the blonde toward her, the both of them snuggling down under the covers. "I love you, Aubrey."

"I love you, too," Aubrey replied. Chloe was nestled tight against her, the blonde warmed by the proximity of her body and the steady feel of her breath escaping on her neck, in her hair, laced with the faintly sweet smell of her midnight cookie. Chloe's hand began to play lightly with the ends of Aubrey's hair, lips braving the short distance to brush against her collarbone.

"It's miserable and cold outside," she murmured into the crook of Aubrey's neck. "But I don't think there's anywhere else I could be in the world that would be better than this." Aubrey shuffled and twisted so that they were face to face, just centimeters apart.

"Me either," she said. "It's only been six minutes but this is the best Christmas ever."

"Will your brother call early?" Chloe asked, her hand pushing hair from Aubrey's face as their eyes met.

"I'll call him after dinner," Aubrey said. "Your parents?"

"They'll call after mass," Chloe said. "So, around lunch." She gently kissed the blonde, sighing softly as they pulled apart. She rolled over and pulled Aubrey's arm around her, the two of them warm enough now to sleep, and felt Aubrey kiss along the back of her shoulder blade.

"Chlo?" Aubrey said softly into her hair. "I used to think I was miserable and cold too. Then you changed me. Reminded me what it was to be warm. Happy. Thank you." Chloe tugged Aubrey's hand up to her lips and kissed the knuckles as they began to doze off, breathing evening out and syncing up, both of them oblivious to the howling wind and snow outside.


	6. Hell of A Girl

Aubrey's head was pounding and her vision was pulsing with every throb of her temples. She had taken a cab home, not trusting her blurred vision and the raging pain in her skull to let up enough for her to drive home safely after another fourteen-hour work day. Work was a nightmare at the moment - Pittsburgh PD had just arrested three cops and a DA for their part in a corruption racket, and as a result every law firm in the city was scrambling to see how it affected all their cases and rulings.

A string of consecutive workdays that exceeded twelve hours meant she'd barely had time to see her girlfriend beyond sleeping next to her and she missed the redhead beyond words. Sure they still called and texted and Chloe had dropped by a couple of times to check on her, but it wasn't the same. She'd texted Chloe just before she left work so she wouldn't worry that she'd be at work all night while the redhead worked her shift at The Sorrow.

She unlocked the door, grimacing at the metallic clunk of the key, dropped her bag without flicking on the lights and slid out of her shoes. She saw a figure in the doorway and jumped before she realised it was just Chloe.

"Hey," she said wearily, snaking her arms around the redhead's waist and leaning against her. "What happened to The Sorrow?"

"I had this feeling like you needed me more," Chloe said. "Martin got Tara to cover me." Aubrey pulled back a little.

"You're amazing."

"Come with me," Chloe said. She led her toward the bathroom where a hot bath was drawn, the room lit by candles instead of the harsh overhead. Aubrey could smell something else.

"Chamomile?" Aubrey guessed.

"Yep. You get in, I'll make you something to eat," Chloe said.

"No," Aubrey said, stripping out of her clothes. "You get in with me. I won't be awake long enough for food."

"At least promise me you'll drink some water;" Chloe said. "I can tell you've got a headache." Aubrey nodded took the offered water. She drank half the bottle and put it down, her hands beginning to pull at the redhead's clothing. Chloe leaned against the side of the tub as she got in, Aubrey settling between her legs. The hot water was like magic on her tense muscles, and the scent of chamomile was incredibly relaxing. She let her head fall back against Chloe's shoulder, making a faint noise as her girlfriend's hands made their way into her hair, untying it from the tight bun and lightly massaging her scalp.

"This is perfect," Aubrey sighed. "Thanks." Chloe pressed a kiss to her temple.

"It is my absolute pleasure," she said. "I love you, Bree."

"I love you, too." She let her eyes close as they relaxed together. Before long, Chloe wrapped her arms around the blonde, and found that she'd already drifted to sleep. Instead of waking her straight away, she let her sleep. She let her own eyes close and enjoyed the bath, the fact that Aubrey was laying in her arms, and breathed in the scent of chamomile mixed with Aubrey's shampoo until the water lost most of its heat.

"Bree," she murmured into Aubrey's ear. She nudged her. "Come on, Bree. You fell asleep, let's just get into bed."

"No. We'll stay here," Aubrey mumbled. "Bed is over there. Here is here."

"I know," Chloe said, smiling. "But we can't stay in here all night. If it makes you feel any better, I won't make you put any clothes on. You can just let me dry you off and that's it."

"Kay," she mumbled. Chloe pulled the plug and helped Aubrey out. True to her word, she dried the blonde off and tucked her into bed.

"How's your head? Do you need some Advil?"

"No, I'll be okay. You getting in?"

"Just tidying up. What time do you need to be up in the morning?"

"Six," Aubrey groaned into the pillow.

"I'll set an alarm," she said. She kissed Aubrey's forehead. She quickly tidied the bathroom, set her alarm for Aubrey for the next morning and slid into bed. Aubrey was already deeply asleep; so Chloe just curled up against her and softly stroked her hair until she, too, fell asleep.

When Aubrey woke the next morning, Chloe was already out of bed. She could smell something cooking, so she hurriedly threw some underwear and a tee on, and found Chloe cooking her breakfast. "Chlo, you don't have to cook for me."

"I know but you didn't eat dinner last night so I wanted to make sure you ate properly this morning," she said, sliding the bacon onto two plates alongside the omelettes. Aubrey pulled her in and let her hands settle on her waist.

"You are far too good to me, Chloe Beale," she said. Then she kissed her in a manner that started out soft, but by the end of it Chloe's hands were in her hair and her own had migrated to Chloe's ass. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"I love you," Chloe said. "Come on, let's have breakfast." They enjoyed their breakfast together, and then Aubrey went to prepare for the morning. She hurried through her morning ritual and then found Chloe enjoying a second cup of coffee.

"I've got twelve whole minutes before I have to leave," she said, pressing her lips to Chloe's neck. Chloe shoved her into the nearest kitchen chair and straddled her lap. Aubrey joined their hands and looked up at her girlfriend. "I love you." Chloe just smiled and freed a hand so she could brush her thumb along Aubrey's cheek.

"I know. I love you too."

"I just feel bad that I've been doing nothing but work for a solid week," Aubrey sighed. "I'll have to make it up to you."

"I can think of a few ways you could do that," Chloe smirked. She leaned in and kissed her softly.

"Oh I'm cooking up a plan all on my own," Aubrey said. She pulled the redhead in again and allowed herself a few minutes to relax in Chloe's embrace, savoring the feel of their lips and tongues on one another's. Her hands gently ran up and down Chloe's bare thighs.

"Aubrey Posen, you do not have time to finish what happens when you do that to me," Chloe husked into her ear. Aubrey laughed.

"Yeah I know. As if you can blame me. I should probably touch up and go, though, the taxi will be here any minute." She pouted and Chloe kissed her, nipping gently at the offending lip before letting the blonde up. She followed Aubrey to the door, where the lawyer stopped and just looked at her for a few moments.

"God you're gorgeous," she sighed. "Hopefully the mental image of you in my Columbia tee and underwear is enough to get me through the day."

"Will this help?" Chloe asked, and she leaned in and kissed her deeply one more time.

"Yes," Aubrey said. "I'll drop into The Sorrow after work. Love you."

"Love you too."

Aubrey stepped into the bar where Chloe worked just after eight pm that night. She sat down the far end of the bar, the same place where she'd perched on the night they met. Chloe couldn't get down to see her straight away, but she spotted her talking to Martin, her boss.

A few moments later, she'd served all the waiting patrons so she went down to her girlfriend and kissed her on the cheek. "How was work?"

"Crazy," Aubrey said smiling.

"If it was crazy, then why are you smiling?" Chloe asked confused.

"Because tomorrow is Saturday and I don't have to go back until Wednesday," Aubrey said. She pulled an envelope out of her bag and put it on the counter.

"How did you swing that?" Chloe asked. Aubrey gestured to the envelope. Chloe opened it and her jaw dropped.

"Bree?"

"I told them I needed some sanity days," Aubrey said. "I haven't taken a sick or holiday day in four years. They asked whether this was the best time and I told them it was the perfect time. And you have been amazing to me the past eight days, Chloe. You deserve to be spoiled."

"And you thought booking a four day getaway in a romantic lodge in upstate New York was the same as running you a bath and cooking you breakfast?" the redhead asked. "I'll take that."

"I just asked Martin. He said it was okay. Look, I love you. And I appreciate every little thing you do for me, and I know I don't show it enough. So I want to take you away, for four days, with no cell phones or bar patrons or corruption scandals. Just you, me, some spa treatments, some candlelit dinners, and not having to do anything but be with each other," Aubrey said. Chloe came around the bar and kissed her softly.

"Your bosses aren't mad?"

"Not really. Plus, you're more important to me than them, so I wouldn't have negotiated. I just want you, Chloe." Chloe squeezed her hand softly.

"How I wish I could come home with you right now," she said.

"I'll wait up. I might have to drink three cups of coffee, but I'll wait up," Aubrey promised. She brushed a soft kiss to Chloe's forehead as she stood. "I'll see you at my place." Chloe nodded and watched Aubrey leave through the side door, glad that she was far less stressed than yesterday.

"Hell of a girl," she heard Martin say. "She loves you, you know."

"Yeah," she said, grinning. "She's a hell of a girl."


	7. Meet The Beales, Part I

Aubrey fidgeted nervously with the hem of her skirt as Chloe navigated the driveway. The two of them had made the trip from Pittsburgh to Chloe's hometown of Tampa, Florida. It was her parents' thirtieth wedding anniversary, and to add to the occasion, the first time Aubrey would be meeting the Beale family.

Aubrey felt familiar with the members of Chloe's family despite not having met them, having heard plenty of stories about them from her girlfriend. There was still a sense of nervousness because she wanted to make a good impression - she'd never met the family before, not with anyone. Chloe, typically, had calmed her by saying that of course her parents would adore her as long as she relaxed and was herself. She pulled the rental car up in front of a double garage and got out, stretching her body out. Aubrey did the same, and then moved to get their bags from the trunk. She heard the front door fly open and the welcoming shouts from Chloe's parents.

"There's my baby girl," her mother said, throwing her arms around the redhead.

"Hey mom, I missed you." She hugged her tightly as Aubrey joined them. "Mom, this is Aubrey Posen. Aubrey, my mom Caroline and dad Jack." Aubrey was pulled into a tight hug by Caroline before she could speak.

"Aubrey it's so nice to finally meet you," Caroline said. "Chloe talks about you so often."

"It's great to meet you, too," she said when the woman had relinquished her. Jack shook her hand warmly, smiling in a manner reminiscent of his daughter.

"The flight and drive weren't too bad, were they?" he asked. He took the bags Aubrey had retrieved.

"No daddy," Chloe said. "They were fine." They turned toward the house, Caroline falling into step with Aubrey. She looked up at the large, sprawling house. It wasn't too dissimilar from the one she grew up in, except that it radiated a certain warmth that the Posen house had always lacked.

"I appreciate you coming all this way," Caroline said. "Chloe mentioned that work can get a bit crazy for you."

"I appreciate the invitation," Aubrey said. "And I wouldn't miss it for the world. Things like this, for family, they're really important to Chloe, so they're important to me." It seemed to be the right thing to say, because Caroline beamed and slung an arm around her shoulder.

Jack showed them to Chloe's old room and told them that the boys would be arriving soon. Chloe's twin brothers, Adam and Zack, were three years younger. Adam was married with a baby on the way, and Zack was still single and playing the field. Both still lived in Florida, and were also coming to stay to celebrate the weekend with their parents.

Chloe's childhood bedroom was bright yellow and sunny, which Aubrey figured suited her pretty well. The queen bed looked soft, and the room still held mementos of her pre-adult life. They stowed all of their stuff in the room and then Chloe took Aubrey's hand and gave her the tour of the family house. They finished in the kitchen, where Caroline was brewing coffee. Aubrey accepted a cup and was telling Jack about her recent work cases – most of which involved cleaning up the fallout of a recent corruption bust in Pittsburgh – when the doorbell rang. Chloe squealed and bounded off to answer it.

She soon returned with a man in tow, hair not really red so much as strawberry blonde. He had eyes like his sister, wide blue and piercing, and was smiling softly. The Beales all crowded around and hugged him hard before he disengaged himself and spotted the blonde. "And this must be the famous Aubrey Posen." Chloe slapped him lightly.

"Zack. Be nice. This is my girlfriend Aubrey. Aubrey, my little brother Zack," she introduced. He hugged her briefly.

"I have heard many, many things about you," he said. "I'm looking forward to see whether you live up to the hype."

"Zack, you jerk," Chloe said. "What part of 'be nice' was too hard to grasp? Bree is much better than the hype, and I should know because I was the one delivering the hype." She wrapped her arms around the blonde from behind.

"Where are Adam and Angie?" he asked, pouring a cup of coffee.

"They'll be here soon," Caroline said. "Which reminds me, I have to duck to the store and get some decaf."

"I'll go in a sec," Zack offered. "I want to pick up some cereal, too. Because you guys eat nothing but oldies cereal."

"Just because you never outgrew Apple Jacks and Cap'n Crunch," Chloe teased.

"I love Cap'n Crunch," Aubrey said off-handedly. Zack gave her an appraising look. "What? It's delicious."

"And there you go," Zack said. "I have a professional legal opinion now. Cap'n Crunch is delicious." Chloe was beaming at her. Apparently it was easy to win over Zack, if all it took was cereal choice. The younger Beale sibling finished his coffee and then announced he was heading to the store. Not ten minutes after he left did his twin arrive, with a raven-haired woman in tow who was sporting a round belly.

"Angie," Caroline said. "You're getting so big sweetie." Chloe was being hugged by her brother tightly.

"Adam, Angie, this is my girlfriend Aubrey," she said. "Aubrey, Adam, Angie and my future niece." They exchanged greetings.

"So how far along are you?" Aubrey asked.

"I'm thirty four weeks," Angie said. She placed a hand on the protruding belly. "So you know, ready for it to get out already. I do nothing but pee, sleep and eat. Much like she will be." They all traipsed back into the kitchen and were playing catch-up, or in Aubrey's case get-to-know-you, until Zack arrived back home with milk, coffee and his beloved cereal.

"Don't worry Aubrey," he said, "I got enough for you too. I shotty the prizes though, so no bright ideas." They all laughed, and continued to chatter until Jack announced it was grilling time. Angie looked quite tired and requested a reprieve so she could rest, and Caroline and Chloe bustled away to make sure Adam's room was sufficiently set up. The Beale twins looked at Aubrey challengingly, but with a smile.

"Shall we get this out of the way?" Adam asked Zack.

"We may as well," Zack said. "Alright, Aubrey. How serious are you about our big sister?" Aubrey's eyes widened a little.

"Um, very. Incredibly serious. I love her. She's the best thing that ever happened to me, and I know there's nobody better for me out there than her."

"And you're treating her properly?" Adam asked.

"Of course," Aubrey said. "I am from the South, after all. Manners are what we do."

"You don't talk like a southerner," Zack observed.

"It's been many, many years. But I grew up in Louisiana and that never goes away. So yeah, I'm treating her right." Adam's features softened a little.

"You know she loves you, right?" he said. "I've never heard her talk about anyone the way she talks about you."

"I count the night I walked into The Sorrow as the best night of my life," she said seriously. "And truly, I adore Chloe. And sure we're not even a year into this thing, but I intend on this being forever. I can't possibly see how I could be without her."

"Adam," Zack said. "I think she passes the brother interrogation." Adam nodded and smiled, whereas Zack held up his hand for a high five. Caroline entered the room at that exact moment.

"Don't tell me you two were hassling poor Aubrey," she chided them.

"No, not hassling at all," Aubrey said. "I love that they care about Chloe so much."

"And it's alright mama," Zack said. "Because Aubrey cares about her as much as we all do." He smacked Aubrey on the shoulder and then sauntered outside to help his father with the grilling.

Dinner was a relaxed affair, burgers and beers on the patio, before it got a little chilly and they moved it inside. Adam and Angie retired first, then Jack and Caroline. Aubrey and Chloe sat curled up at one end of the couch with Zack in an easy chair opposite them. They were watching one of the _Lethal Weapon_ movies, which one, Aubrey couldn't be sure. But Zack was saying the dialogue along with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, and Chloe was providing commentary throughout. Aubrey was barely paying attention to the movie, but she was happy to feel like part of a family.

When the credits rolled, the two women made their way upstairs. After returning from the bathroom, Aubrey found Chloe waiting for her in bed. It was warm and smelled overwhelmingly of Chloe, and Aubrey wrapped her arms tight around the redhead as they settled in to sleep.

"I like your family," she said softly. "They're really nice. Even your goofy brother Zack."

"I'm glad," Chloe replied. "Mama loves you, just so you know. She said you look at me a certain way, and she knows that you love me."

"Well, your mom is right," Aubrey said. "Because I do love you."

"I love you too," Chloe said. She pulled Aubrey's arm tighter around her, and the blonde gently nuzzled into the mane of red hair, inhaling the scent of her girlfriend deeply as she was lulled into sleep.


	8. Meet The Beales, Part II

Aubrey looked around at the people in the room who were celebrating the night with the Beales. On top of the Beales themselves, there were a few of their closest friends in attendance to celebrate the thirtieth wedding anniversary of her girlfriend's parents. She'd met more people than she'd be able to remember in one night, stomach swooping every time Chloe introduced her as her 'brilliant and amazing girlfriend'. She had her cheeks pinched by great aunts and uncles, Chloe winking at her being the only thing that helped her hold her tongue.

It was a great feeling, to look around a room and see so many people enjoying a happy occasion together. She herself had only really felt that connection with her brother and his small family, but never with her parents. And she'd had a few friends throughout the years, normally work colleagues of some kind or another, but not lifelong friends like Edith Julian, who was Caroline's best friend of forty six years.

Angie, who was married to Chloe's brother, waddled over to her, a knowing look on her face. "It's a hell of a family, this one."

"They seem to inspire good times and good feelings," Aubrey said. "And nobody gets left out."

"No they don't," Angie agreed. "It's a special thing to be a part of. I mean, I like my family a lot, but they're not like this."

"I'm close with my brother, but I've never experienced anything like this with him."

"What about your parents?" Angie asked.

"Not for a long time," Aubrey sighed. "The day I told them I was gay was the last time I saw them."

"That really sucks, Aubrey, I'm sorry," she said, putting a hand on her arm.

"It's okay though," Aubrey continued. "Because I feel like this is going to be my family from now on. Is that weird?" Angie smiled and shook her head. Chloe saw the two of them talking and bounded over.

"Hey," she said, pecking Aubrey on the cheek. "You okay?"

"I'm great," Aubrey said. Angie left them, muttering about needing to pee, Chloe taking advantage of their momentary solace by sliding her arms around her waist and kissing her properly.

"And now I'm better than great," she said. "Angie was just telling me about what it's like to get roped into the Beale family."

"All good things, I hope," Chloe said.

"Of course," Aubrey said, taking her hand and walking them back to the party. "Chloe, your family is amazing. They've known me two days but already treat me like I'm one of them. I feel more at home in your mother's house than I ever did in my own. Your people, they're my people now. At least I feel that way." Chloe's eyes were glassy with tears.

"I love you, Bree," she said. "And you're family to me, so you're family to them." She kissed her softly and they went to watch the toasts, hands clutched together tightly.

The next morning, Chloe and Aubrey were awake a lot earlier than they needed to be. After just laying in bed together for a while, hands lazily caressing each other as they gradually drew out of their slumber, Aubrey decided they should get up and make breakfast.

"You want to cook breakfast for my whole family?" Chloe said. "Are you gunning for favorite child?" She followed Aubrey anyway, and they set about assembling blueberry pancakes in quantities to satisfy the family – no easy feat thanks to Zack and Adam. Once the other houseguests began to smell the cooking, they made their way downstairs. Chloe kept the coffee coming as they all sat and enjoyed their meal together.

"Aubrey, you are a godsend," Caroline said. "I consider any family meal I don't have to cook as nothing short of amazing, but I'm literally too full to eat anything else." Zack offered something unintelligible through his mouthful, earning him a slap on the back of the head from Chloe, but he grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

"Just my way of saying thanks for welcoming me into the family," she said. Chloe and Zack offered to wash the dishes, and Adam and Angie disappeared to pack their things, since Angie had a prenatal appointment the next day. That left Aubrey with Chloe's parents. She knew what was coming, she wasn't stupid. She figured she'd open the conversation with something general and let them take the opening.

"Thanks again for letting me come down this weekend," Aubrey said. "I've enjoyed meeting you all."

"Well dear," Caroline said, "Chloe thinks the world of you. She was quite insistent that you be invited, and once we heard the way she spoke about you, we simply had to meet you." Aubrey blushed.

"So things are fairly serious between the two of you?" Jack said.

"Jack!" Caroline said.

"No, it's fine," Aubrey said. "I want you both to know that I care about Chloe very much. I love her. My life changed in the most remarkable manner when I met her."

"That's very sweet of you to say," Jack said.

"It's true," she said. "I've never met anyone quite like her in my life. She makes me happy in a way that I almost forgot was possible. I – haven't had a relationship with my parents for many years, and yes it has been lonely. But she's managed to bring happiness and light into my life, and now she's brought me family as well. I adore Chloe, so I hope you won't mind if I tell you that my plan is to love her for as long as she'll let me, hopefully forever." Caroline wiped a tear from her eye.

"Aubrey, that was beautiful," she said. "Would it be terribly forward of me to hug you?"

"I've grown accustomed to the Beale hugging gene," Aubrey smiled. Caroline came around the table and hugged her tightly before returning to her seat.

"You don't see much of your parents?" Jack asked softly.

"No," Aubrey said. "They excommunicated me once I told them I was gay. I keep in close contact with my brother, he got the same treatment when he wouldn't renounce me."

"Damn shame," Jack said. His face looked like it would never cross his mind that a parent would disown their child.

"The way I see it, they made their choice," Aubrey said. "It was painful, but if they were never going to support me then I'm better off without them."

"Well honey, if Chloe considers you family, then you're family," Caroline said.

"I really appreciate that," Aubrey said. Chloe and Zack came back in from the kitchen, laughing, and Chloe stopped to press a kiss to Aubrey's cheek.

"All done," she said. "Come on, I want to take you to see some of my favorite places around here."

They spent the majority of their day roaming around Chloe's hometown, stopping in for lunch at a beat up diner where she used to bus tables in summer, and afternoon coffee in a café where she worked the last two years of high school. Chloe kept up a narrative the whole time, and Aubrey couldn't help but marvel at her girlfriend. Her eyes were shining as she told story after story, and Aubrey couldn't help herself. As they reached the car to go back to her parents, she pulled Chloe in by the waist and kissed her deeply.

"What was that for?" Chloe asked.

"Mainly because I love you," Aubrey said, tucking hair behind her ear. "Also to say thanks again for bringing me here and introducing me to your family."

"Did my parents grill you this morning?" she asked worriedly.

"They just want to make sure I love you," Aubrey said. "And I do. They're great, by the way."

"I'm glad you like them," Chloe said. She leaned into Aubrey, wrapping her arms around her, and they leaned against the car for a moment. "I didn't doubt for a second that they'd love you, though. I'm sure they can see how happy I am with you."

"I told them I'm planning on loving you forever," Aubrey said into her hair. "If you'll have me that long." Chloe pulled back.

"Forever?" she said softly. Aubrey met her eyes.

"Forever," she repeated. Chloe kissed her softly, smiling against Aubrey's lips.

"Forever sounds pretty good to me," she said. "Come on, we still have to pack for tomorrow."

The next morning, they were loading up the car with their bags for the drive back to the airport, and were just about ready to leave. Chloe hugged both her parents, and then they both hugged Aubrey, Caroline saying that she was welcome to come any time, and she hoped to see them often. Even Zack came out to farewell them.

"Do you want me to drive?" Chloe asked, as they went to the car.

"Sure," Aubrey said. "I'm going to need another cup of coffee before I operate heavy machinery." They got in and waved to the Beales, Chloe honking the horn as they pulled away. As they drove away, Aubrey smiled to herself.

"What's that smile about?" Chloe asked.

"That's the first time I've ever met the parents," Aubrey said. "I think it went well."

"Considering my family basically adopted you, yeah, it did," Chloe said. "They love you. Almost as much as I do. Not quite, but almost."


	9. Silver Keys

Aubrey was nervous. More nervous than she'd ever been in her life, court cases be damned, even more nervous than when she told her parents she was gay. There was a beautiful redhead in her passenger seat, her girlfriend Chloe, and she was blindfolded, much to her dislike. She squirmed and asked questions every few seconds, trying to guess where they were headed.

"Come on," Chloe pleaded. "Just tell me where we're going."

"Do I need to remind you what the definition of surprise is?" Aubrey said.

"This is killing me," she moaned melodramatically. Aubrey took her hand and squeezed it, then kissed her knuckles softly.

"Not much longer," she said. "I promise, Chlo." Chloe settled down, but she didn't let go of her hand. A few minutes later, Aubrey pulled up at their destination. She helped her girlfriend out of the car, carefully escorting her up the steps and to the front door. She unlocked it and Chloe stood just inside the door. Aubrey took a deep breath and undid the blindfold. Before them was an empty townhouse. High ceilings, wooden floors. Gorgeous.

"What's this?" Chloe asked, taking a few steps forward.

"This is mine," Aubrey said. "I bought it." Chloe's jaw dropped.

"Holy shit, Aubrey. This is yours!? God the mortgage on this must be huge," she said, walking into the living area. "How adorable is that bay window?"

"No mortgage," Aubrey shrugged. "I bought it. Do you like it?" Chloe looked at her with wide eyes.

"It's gorgeous."

"Can I take you for a tour?" Aubrey asked. Chloe slipped her hand into Aubrey's and they slowly walked through the house. It was a lot bigger than either of their apartments. The bottom floor held the kitchen and dining rooms, two living areas, and a library that Aubrey said she would be using as an office. A small door led to the garage, which also contained the laundry area, and there was a small back deck and garden. Upstairs were three bedrooms, the master had an ensuite, plus the main bathroom, and a large open space.

"I've got people coming to work in this room on Monday," Aubrey said nervously.

"What are you putting in here?"

"Well, that all depends on you," Aubrey said. "I'm thinking about installing a dark room." Chloe looked at her, confused.

"Bree?" she said. "What are... Oh my god. You want me to move in with you!?" Aubrey pulled a second set of silver keys from her pocket. The redhead's eyes misted over.

"I was hoping so," she said. "I personally don't have much use for a dark room."

"Seriously?" Chloe said. "Aubrey you just paid for this whole house and you want me to move in?"

"It's just a house," the blonde said, shrugging. "I want it to be a home, and I can't do that without you. Sure I've got money and whatever, but you've given me things that can't be valued in dollars. You've given me love, and you've given me someone to love. We're already together every single night, and we've talked about the fact that what we have feels like it's gonna last. So yes, I want you to move in, Chloe. Build a home with me." Chloe nodded, and slid her arms around Aubrey's neck.

"I love you, Bree," she said. "Of course I want to move in with you." Their lips met in a soft kiss.

"I wasn't joking about the dark room," Aubrey said. "I called around and found some people who will build one in here for you. We can go tomorrow and you can tell them what you want. I think this room would be perfect for a home studio for you."

"When can we move in?" Chloe asked, eyes flicking around the empty space. Aubrey wrapped her arms around her from behind.

"As soon as you like," Aubrey replied. "I'm going to need your help though. You're the artist, I'm going to need decorating advice."

They walked back through the house again, taking their time to discuss colors and furniture placement. Chloe was getting more and more excited, and Aubrey was falling more in love as she watched her. They finished back where they started at the front door.

"This is going to be amazing," Chloe said. "Bree, I can't wait to start turning this into our home."

"Are you hungry? I was thinking we might order pizza and eat in our house," Aubrey said. A look of wonder crossed Chloe's face. "What's that?"

"I just... You called it ours even though I haven't actually contributed to it at all," she said. Aubrey took her hands.

"We're going to have to have the money talk a bit later," she started. "You obviously know that I've got money. The short version is that my job pays more than you probably even think and I invested well at an early age. But I've never wanted to spend it on anything big til now. This is an investment for our future. And if it weren't for you, it'd just be sitting around in a bank account. This house would be empty, but so would I. Yes, I have money. But you're worth way more than anything it can buy me." Chloe teared up hearing the passion in her voice. She kissed her tenderly.

"You are the most generous and incredible person I've ever met," she whispered, voice cracking. She brought their lips together again, Aubrey sliding her arms around her and sinking in to the kiss.

"So, pizza?" Aubrey asked after she pulled back. Chloe nodded. She phoned it in and they waited on the front steps. When it arrived, Aubrey pulled a picnic rug from the back of her car and led Chloe out onto the back deck. She put the rug down and they ate together before moving to the steps. Chloe parked between Aubrey's legs and the blonde wrapped her arms around her as they stared up at the night sky until it got too cold. Afterward they went back to Aubrey's apartment, curled tightly up against one another while they slept.

The next day they went and saw the contractor for the dark room. Aubrey just listened as Chloe told them what she needed. Afterwards, they went and picked up a stack of paint swatches, and spent the entire afternoon deciding on colors for the rooms they wanted to paint. Aubrey took notes about what they wanted for each room, jotting down every little idea Chloe had about paint or curtains or rugs or furniture.

Aubrey had arranged to take the next week off to deal with the contractors and also to get a jump start on lining up some painters. Chloe still had to deal with some evening shifts at The Sorrow, so she came over to keep Aubrey company on the Monday morning while the contractors worked and the painters came to deliver a quote. Chloe was able to charm them down a little, Aubrey absolutely stunned at how easily they bent for a few smiles and her girlfriend's pretty blue eyes. Not that she could blame them, she was a sucker for them herself.

They spent the afternoon picking furniture off of websites to be delivered later in the week. Chloe's furniture, by her own admission, was shitty and just about at its' expiration date. Aubrey was happy to leave the majority of hers behind in the apartment for whoever lived there next. She wanted to start fresh, start building something that could be theirs, with furniture they chose, instead of stuff she'd picked out at last resort and only out of necessity.

She was excited. Because as much as she'd prayed and hoped that Chloe would say yes, and as much as she had no reason to doubt her, there was part of her that still worried. Part of her that still felt like maybe, just maybe, this was all too good to be true. But when Chloe disappeared for her evening shift at The Sorrow, the redhead had kissed her deeply, murmuring that she was so excited about them moving in together. Aubrey was not as confident with personal issues as she was with professional issues, so the reassurance that Chloe gave to her was invaluable.

Chloe arrived the next morning with a car loaded with boxes and suitcases. She apologized, saying she just didn't want to wait anymore. Aubrey could understand. She'd almost packed her entire apartment already, and was hoping to finish it off that night so that she could begin moving in. They didn't yet have their bed - they decided they needed to go and actually test out some mattresses - but Chloe had asserted that she was fine crashing on a mattress on the floor until they got one.

The contractors had done all of the building for Chloe's darkroom, with just a minor bit of plumbing left. The painters would arrive that morning also, to begin the downstairs level straight away. Chloe joked that only Aubrey could arrange so much in such short a time.

"I was just really excited," Aubrey said. "Once I bought it, I couldn't stop thinking about me and you and us living here."

"Our first home," Chloe said with a smile. Aubrey just pulled her in and kissed her tenderly, arms winding around her waist.

"Our first home."


	10. The End of The Sorrow

Aubrey glanced at the GPS. The road in front of her was still largely unfamiliar but she did recognize some of the sights. She was down in Florida, having been sent by her bosses to Tampa to take three depositions. And she couldn't be in the area and not visit her girlfriend's parents, not when she was literally thirty minutes away.

Chloe had been most aggrieved to learn that Aubrey was going to be in Florida and she wouldn't be able to go herself. She had shifts at the bar and a big upcoming art show. She was starting to book more and more work that didn't involve slinging beers and at times the combination of her two jobs left her very busy. But Aubrey had promised to visit, and she was happy to keep that promise. Caroline and Jack Beale were some of Aubrey's favorite people in the world by now.

She turned onto the correct street and scanned houses as she drove, until she found the one she wanted. She carefully parked the car and got out, snagging the bottle of red she'd picked up for the occasion and approached the door. Caroline came out with a huge grin, hugging her hard and telling her to come inside. Jack also greeted her enthusiastically, and they exchanged quick chatter about why she was down and how it was a shame that Chloe couldn't be there as well, over a wine as dinner finished roasting.

"She has been so busy lately," Aubrey said. "The bar still needs her forty hours a week and she's just getting so much photography work done. Some weeks she's just plain exhausted. I hate seeing it, because I know what it's like. Though since I've been with Chloe I'm much less focused on eighty hour work weeks."

"That's not good to hear," Jack said.

"But I think I'm going to suggest that she gives up the bar," Aubrey said. "She's probably going to fight me saying that she's not solid enough in her photography yet, but I think she needs to take the risk and make that jump to protect her passion and her sanity. I don't want her to end up resenting something she loves."

"You guys will be okay with out that paycheck?" Jack asked delicately.

"Chloe loves contributing to the financial stability of the house," Aubrey commented. "But truthfully, we'd be just fine if she didn't work at all. The house is paid for and law is one of those professions where if you're good enough you can make life very comfortable. I just want her to be happy and I think two jobs is taking its toll, even if she denies it."

"I'm sure if you explain it like that, she'll agree," Caroline said.

"And that brings me to another thing," Aubrey said. "It's kind of perfect that she's not here. Because I wanted to talk to you both, Caroline, Jack, about asking your daughter to marry me." Caroline's eyes welled up and even Jack looked a little overcome for a moment.

"You want to marry our Chlo-bear?" he asked.

"I want to spend every day making her feel as happy and as loved as I feel when I'm with her," Aubrey said. "I want to wake up next to her and eat her Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes or talk her into late brunches by the water, I want to buy a silly little dog that's going to follow her around, I want to be able to proudly tell people that Chloe is beautiful and amazing and incredible and just how lucky I am to be her wife. If you would give me your blessing."

"Well - uh," Jack said nervously. "I think that'd be great. There isn't anyone who makes our little girl happy like you do, Aubrey. And I know she adores you equally as much as you do her." Caroline dashed around the table to hug her again.

"Oh sweetie I'm so happy," she said, wiping her cheeks. "Do you have a ring? Do you know when you want to do it?"

"I don't have it yet," she said. "I wanted to ask you first. But I've had one in mind for a while, it caught my eye and I think it would be perfect for her." She pulled out her phone and brought up an image she had bookmarked on the Internet. It was a beautiful princess cut ring with small accents on either side.

"And I've been throwing around some ideas for how. I think I need some help pulling it off so I was going to ask Beca," Aubrey said. "I know they're really tight and even though she pretends like she's super grumpy she's not."

"I'm sure she'd be happy to help," Caroline said.

"Thank you both so much," Aubrey said. "I promise that I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure Chloe is happy and loved and safe every single day. And I'm also really looking forward to officially becoming a part of the Beale family."

"Don't be daft," Jack said. "You already are." Caroline bustled off to serve up dinner and they shared a long meal around the table. They finished off the bottle of wine and then a little scotch after dinner, so Jack insisted that she stay the night instead of drive. Aubrey gladly accepted but said she'd have to leave very early so she could ready herself for work.

They showed her into Chloe's room, and Caroline brought in a towel and washcloth for the bathroom. Aubrey washed up quickly and was asleep in no time.

When she woke the next morning Caroline was awake, brewing coffee just as she came down the stairs. She had time for a quick cup before she left, hugging Caroline and promising that she'd keep her in the loop. She thanked her for the meal and for the bed, and then got back into her car to head back to her hotel for the last day of her work trip.

When she finally arrived home after the trip, Chloe met her at the door with a fierce hug. Aubrey dropped her bag unceremoniously and pulled her in for a kiss. The redhead had dinner on the way, she explained, Aubrey's favorite Thai was about forty minutes out, and she'd also arranged to have the night off work because she'd missed her so much.

"I wanted to talk to you about that a bit," Aubrey said. Chloe was pulling her back in, fingers trailing down her arm in a very familiar manner to the blonde.

"Can it wait just a few minutes?" Chloe said. "I missed you, Bree. And you look-"

"Like I've been flying," Aubrey said dryly.

"You look gorgeous," Chloe corrected. "You look like heaven to me." Aubrey couldn't help but surrender to the kiss that followed. She loved this girl way too much to put up a fight.

They only just heard the bell of their food arriving through their post sex haze and Chloe threw on a robe, hurrying down to pay the delivery girl. Aubrey got up and tugged on some underwear and an old tee shirt, and went in search of some wine. Chloe had already deposited the food on the coffee table in their living room and disappeared to put clothes on.

They ate curled up facing each other on the couch, trading stories over the past few days with each other before Chloe brought their earlier conversation up.

"You wanted to talk to me about work?" she said.

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "Um, you're getting a lot of photography work now. And working full time at the bar. But I was thinking, you know, that I worry about you working so hard at two jobs when only one of them is what you're passionate about."

"That's sweet," Chloe said. "But it won't be forever."

"I know," Aubrey said. "And we've talked a little about money and the fact that I get paid a lot... I want you to consider giving up the bar. We don't need to be worried about that money, Chloe."

"That's forty hours a week," Chloe said.

"I know. It's forty hours that you can better spend on the job you love. And I'll be frank about the money, Chloe, we won't miss it."

"Seriously?"

"Chloe, this is a pretty big discussion. A lot of couples disagree on money, especially when one makes a lot more than the other. I don't want you to feel like you don't contribute to this relationship. But yeah, I make a lot of money and I think our relationship is at the point where my money should be our money. I see no reason why you should work yourself to the bone while your photography takes off when I have the means to financially support you. And I want to."

"Jesus Bree, I knew you made a lot but what, do you make like twice as much as I do at the bar?" Aubrey just raised an eyebrow, she knew the number was significantly more. "Three times? Four!? No, seriously now."

"How much did you make last year before tips?" Aubrey asked.

"Thirty two."

"Okay I make, before bonuses, about seven times more than that."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No," Aubrey said. "I'm a leading litigator at one of the most sought after firms in Pittsburgh, my salary is actually kind of low compared to places like New York or Chicago. But seriously, Chloe. Your photography is amazing and I want you to spend as much time as you can working on it because it makes you happy and fulfilled."

"I know I've said this before," Chloe said, her eyes misting over. "But you really are the most generous and encouraging person I've ever known. Thank you. I'll give Martin notice tomorrow. But I'll still want to hang around and help him train a replacement." She leaned across and kissed her softly.

"I just want whatever makes you happy," Aubrey said, pulling her back in for a longer kiss.

"But I'm going to be home a lot," Chloe said. "And in the interest of fairness and equity, I want to take care of the house. Not saying you can't touch anything ever, but cleaning and washing clothes and stuff, I'm happy to take care of the bulk of that. Just... Maybe not cooking."

"That's okay," Aubrey said. "I just hate that you were so stressed about it all."

The next day, Chloe resigned from The Sorrow. Martin was upset to be losing his best bartender, but he also admitted that he felt like this day had been coming for a while now. She promised to hang around until he could hire someone else, and he said it probably wouldn't take long because he got three or four people in a week looking for work, he just needed to find the right one.

Aubrey called Beca on her lunch break to see if she could help organize the proposal. Beca asked what she had in mind, so Aubrey quickly ran through her plan.

"I'm impressed," Beca said. "Very cute. Have you got the ring lined up?"

"I have it picked out I just need to actually buy it," Aubrey said.

"Okay," Beca said. "Let me make some calls and I'll get back to you."

"Thank you," Aubrey said. "I appreciate the help."

"Yeah, well, you make my best friend really happy, you know that, right?" Beca said. "She called me after like, three dates and said that she knew you were the right one. So. I'm all for it." They hung up and Aubrey went about her work day. She left work half an hour early and dropped past the jeweler to see the ring she'd been looking at online. The clerk pulled it from the display case and held it out to her.

"Oh it's perfect," she said. "I'll take it." The clerk asked for the size and said it could be resized in three days. Aubrey paid for the ring, not even flinching at the price tag, and headed home. She was starting to get butterflies. A plan was being worked on, there was a ring, and she couldn't wait to see Chloe's face when she proposed.

Beca spent the next day busy calling all of their old acapella friends and trying to arrange for all of them to be in Pittsburgh on the same day, as soon as possible. There were work schedules and family events and she was having a nightmare of a time trying to make it happen. She was about to call Aubrey and tell her to think of another plan, when Amy called. She was the source of four of the seven calendar clashes she was trying to resolve, and she was calling to say that she was now free, not this Saturday but the one after. Beca wondered if Aubrey was comfortable with that but told her to lock it in, mass texting the Bellas and handful of Trebles who would hopefully be there. Then she called Aubrey.

"How'd you go with the ring?" she asked.

"I pick it up Friday," Aubrey said.

"That's good," Beca said, "Because the only weekend we're all free is not this one, the one after. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes," Aubrey said. "I'm ready if you can be ready."

"I've got Jesse helping me, we'll have it done," Beca said. "Promise."

"You're the best," Aubrey said. "I owe you."

She only had one thing left on her list, and it was a little weird. But it had to be done, so she swung by The Sorrow to see Chloe after work and then went for a little walk in the surrounding neighborhood. She found the man she was after and introduced herself.

"Hi," she said. "My name's Aubrey Posen and I have a really unusual request to make."

"And what's that?" he asked.

"The first time I kissed my girlfriend was up on your roof," she said. "She said she used to go up there from time to time and look at the view, that you knew about it."

"Oh the redhead?" he said. "Yeah, I know who you mean."

"Well, I'm proposing to her next weekend and was hoping if you wouldn't mind me borrowing your rooftop?" she asked hopefully.

"You wanna propose on the roof?" he asked. Then he shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. I'll leave the gate unlocked. You're not going to trash it are you?"

"No, I promise," Aubrey said. "It'll be me and Chloe, plus about a dozen other people who are there to sing and that's it."

"Okay," he said. "I like that redhead. She still working at the bar? Haven't been down there in a while"

"Only for a while longer," Aubrey said. "Thanks again, I really appreciate it."

"No problem," he said. Aubrey went back out onto the street and took a deep breath. The entire plan was in place. She walked back to The Sorrow with a huge smile on her face. She couldn't wait.

* * *


	11. Back On The Rooftop

Aubrey did her best at keeping her utter excitement reigned in over the next two weeks. When she picked up the ring she spent a whole hour with it just sitting on her desk at work, imagining what Chloe's face would look like when she proposed. She'd fielded a few phone calls from Beca, but the brunette had called Wednesday confirming that everyone was ready, and everyone would definitely be in Pittsburgh on that Saturday.

When the night finally came, Aubrey took Chloe out to dinner. She played off Chloe's curiosity at their fancy dress and dining location as just wanting to treat Chloe, which seemed to placate her. But after dinner, Aubrey led her back to the car.

"Okay Chlo," she said. "I need you to trust me on something."

"Anything," she said. Aubrey opened the glove compartment and pulled out a blindfold.

"Will you put this on?" Aubrey asked. Chloe turned so she could slip it on her.

"You're always blindfolding me," Chloe said with an exaggerated pout.

"That's true," Aubrey said. "But have I ever blindfolded you and you not completely loved the surprise?"

"You have a point," Chloe said. "You know I'm not the most patient person in the world when it comes to surprises." The blonde picked up her girlfriend's hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Yeah, I've noticed," Aubrey said. "But it's actually adorable." She drove to the apartment building, her nerves building as she did so. When she pulled up in front of the building, she shot a quick text to Beca telling her they had arrived. She helped Chloe out of the car carefully, and guided her up the steps. She herself hadn't seen the rooftop yet. Beca had told her that she wasn't 'a pretty, decorating kind of person' but not to worry, because she'd get the Bellas to take care of it. And they really had.

The rooftop perimeter was draped in twinkling fairy lights, and groups of candles were placed throughout the area to give it better lighting. The Bellas and Treblemakers (whom Aubrey had met en masse the previous day) were gathered together, and Chloe's preferred vantage point over the city was covered with rose petals. She took a deep breath and walked Chloe across the roof, taking the ring that Beca had been entrusted with. Then the group began to sing, and Aubrey removed the blindfold.

"Holy crap," Chloe said. "What's this?"

"You brought me up onto this rooftop when we were complete strangers," Aubrey said. "At first I thought you were this cute, quirky girl and was hoping to get a friend out of the deal. And I did. But more than that, I got my best friend. My soul mate. My everything. This rooftop marks the place and time where my life changed incredibly, for the positive. Since I met you, since the night I kissed you here, I've experienced life and love in a manner that I never thought possible. You're the most generous, talented, kind, compassionate and beautiful person I've ever met. You improved every single aspect of my life, not just in the love you show me daily, but by bringing me into your family, your group of friends who were amazing enough to drop everything to come and help me with this." She pulled the ring out of her pocket, and took her hand. Chloe's eyes widened and got glassy with threatening tears.

"Chloe," she said in a softer tone, "I love you. I love you so god damn much it feels like I'm alight, burning from the inside out. I can't even articulate how you make me feel. All I know is that I want you, Chloe, forever. Say you'll take this ring, and say you'll marry me. Make me the most fortunate person alive, and let me spend the rest of my life making you happy and showing you how much I adore you."

"Of course I'll marry you," Chloe breathed, joyful tears starting to fall. "Aubrey, I love you. Nothing would make me happier than being your wife." She threw her arms around Aubrey and kissed her passionately. The blonde heard cheering from the gathered Bellas and Treblemakers, but she was far more focused on the girl in front of her. When they broke apart they were both smiling widely and Aubrey slid the ring onto Chloe's finger. The redhead leaned over and left a soft kiss on her lips.

"You're amazing," Chloe said, wrapping her arms around her. "I don't even know how you managed to get all these guys in one place so quickly." The group had produced champagne from somewhere - Aubrey hadn't actually requested that but she didn't mind in the slightest - and were pouring glasses.

"I had some help," she said, accepting two glasses from Beca, who kissed them both on the cheek. Jesse gave a short but sincere toast to the happy couple, and they spent a few moments being congratulated by Chloe's acapella friends. But at the first opportunity, the redhead leaned into her ear.

"Take me home," she said. "Please. I love what you did bringing them all here, but I just want to be alone with you."

"I can do that," Aubrey said. "We'll be having lunch with them all tomorrow, and I told Beca not to expect us to hang around. They're all going to The Sorrow while we go home." Chloe grabbed Beca and whispered into her ear, kissed her on the cheek and hugged her hard. Then she grabbed Aubrey and they slid away as quickly as they could. They got back to the car and Chloe pressed Aubrey up against side of the door. She kissed her fiercely, Aubrey sinking into the kiss. They let the embrace continue for quite a while, until Chloe pulled back.

"Just needed to do that properly," Chloe breathed. "Bree, I'm so happy."

"Me, too," she said. "Come on, let's go." She got back in the drivers seat and navigated the short distance to their house. Aubrey followed her fiancée - even thinking it brought a smile to her face - to lead her in, and waited as she uncorked a bottle of wine.

"I know we just had champagne," Chloe said, "But I think we should take this bottle to the bedroom with us."

"Sounds good to me," Aubrey said. "Are you sure you don't want to call your parents or something first?" Chloe's jaw dropped a little.

"Uh, Bree, I probably should have mentioned this before but my dad is really kind of old fashioned about some things and I should have-" Aubrey cut her off with a kiss.

"I asked your dad and your mom if I could ask for your hand," Aubrey said. "Don't worry." Chloe let out a relieved sigh.

"Oh god," she said. "I know it seems really stupid-"

"It's fine," Aubrey said. "I asked them when we had dinner when I was in Florida." Chloe poured two glasses, handed one to Aubrey and picked up the bottle as well.

"I'll call her first thing in the morning," Chloe said. "I just want to be with you right now, nobody but you." They headed to the bedroom. Chloe barely drank half her glass before she had a very willing Aubrey pinned on the bed.

The next morning Aubrey woke first, arm slung over Chloe's body and face buried into the mane of red hair that just couldn't be restrained during the night. She tightened her arm and nuzzled in further, causing the redhead to shift. Chloe's hand moved to take her own and Aubrey smiled as her fingers hit the ring she'd given her last night. Chloe turned over.

"Morning," Aubrey said. Chloe wrinkled her nose and smiled.

"Good morning," she said. "What time is it?"

"A little before ten," Aubrey said, peering at the clock. Chloe reached over to the nightstand and picked up a hair tie, pulling her hair back messily. Then she lay back down, and pulled Aubrey into a kiss.

"We're getting married," she said.

"Yeah," Aubrey said. "I'm pretty excited about spending the rest of my life with you." Chloe kissed her again, harder.

"Me too," she said. "And I realize I didn't tell you this last night, but this ring is beautiful, Bree."

"You deserve beautiful things," Aubrey said simply. Their lips met again and again, kisses that were half smiles as they murmured to one another the things that they were looking forward to in their shared life together.

"You have to call your parents," Aubrey said after a while. "I promised your mom you would."

"Okay," Chloe said.

"Why don't you call them and I'll make coffee," she offered. "Then we should probably shower and stuff, we have to meet all the Bellas and Trebles for lunch too."

"We slept through breakfast," Chloe said. "Not that I care, I'd be happy spending the entire day in bed with you." She left another teasing kiss on Aubrey's lips and went to grab her cell phone from her bag. Aubrey got up and headed to the kitchen, making them both coffee. Chloe came out, holding the cell phone out to her. She chatted to the Beales for a few moments, all joy and promises to keep Chloe happy, before Chloe resumed the call.

She returned without the phone a few minutes later, and they shared their morning coffee quietly together. They showered and got ready to go out, and as they were leaving, Chloe brought up something Aubrey hadn't really thought about.

"Bree, what about a ring for you?" Chloe asked. "I know it's not customary but I still think you should have one." Aubrey maneuvered the car out of the drive and thought.

"It's not really necessary," she said. "I don't need one."

"I know that," Chloe said. "But I want you to have one. Because all the things you promised me, about living together, sharing, growing old and stuff, they're things I'm promising you, too." Aubrey looked over at her for a second. She reached out and took Chloe's hand.

"Then yes," Aubrey said. "I can see it's important to you, so yes, Chloe. We can get me a ring." Chloe grinned and was a quiet passenger for the rest of the short trip.

Their lunch was long and noisy, but Chloe was in her absolute element. Aubrey adored Chloe like this. She was confident and exuberant and a beautiful sight to behold. Aubrey loved Chloe's friends, too. They were all genuinely nice people, and they treated her as if she'd been part of their circle all along. Aubrey felt at home with all of them, more than she did with the people she knew from work. She really felt home anywhere she could feel Chloe - the woman didn't even have to be there. At the present time, Chloe was returning from the restroom, settling herself back down next to Aubrey. She leaned across to the blonde.

"You're beautiful," she whispered.

"What?" Aubrey asked, not quite hearing. Chloe smiled and leaned back over, speaking a little louder this time.

"You're beautiful," Chloe said. "Gorgeous. I love you more than anything and I'm so happy that you've asked me to be your wife." Aubrey completely disregarded all the people crowded around the table and kissed her tenderly.

"I love you," she said.

"Look at these two," Amy said. "Ridiculously loved up pair of idiots." They snapped out of their little bubble and focused on the group around them.

"Sorry," Aubrey said.

"Oh please," Cynthia Rose said. "You two literally just got engaged. Completely forgiven for zoning out."

"I think it's cute," Stacie added. "Relationship goals, right there." They began settling up and splitting the check, Chloe and Aubrey firmly dissuaded from trying to pay for their share. Aubrey made sure to thank every single one of them personally for coming to help with her proposal. When Beca and Jesse got into their hire car - Beca and Chloe had much to discuss and were setting up a Skype date for later - Aubrey slipped her hand into Chloe's.

"Anything you want to do for the rest of the day?" Chloe asked.

"I'll call William a little later," Aubrey said. "But no. And I like the idea of prolonging this little bubble we have."

"I think you should call William as I drive home," Chloe said, her tone changing. "Because I have this plan I'm thinking would work really well for the rest of the afternoon, but I'm not sure your brother has any desire to hear the noises I'm planning on wringing out of you." Aubrey felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Deal," she said. Chloe pulled her to a stop and wrapped her arms around her. She let her lips graze down the side of her neck.

"That was surprisingly easy," Chloe chuckled.

"Oh please," Aubrey said. "I'm always happy to give you exactly what you want, especially if it's something that I'll like equally as much." Chloe just kissed her, her teeth nipping at Aubrey's bottom lip.

"Well, I can promise a good time," she said in the same low tone before she turned around. She looked back to Aubrey. "Coming?"


	12. I Love You. Forever.

Aubrey breathed deeply and wrung her hands together. Her brother William was standing beside her, trying to calm her last minute nerves.

"It's okay to be nervous," he said. "But just remember, at the end of this, you're going to be married, Aubrey. To Chloe. Who loves you more than anything." She nodded.

"I know," she said. "But it feels like it's all been too easy, you know?"

"Aubrey," her brother said with a laugh. "Think back over what it's been like for you, everything with mom and dad. I'd say the universe owes you an easy wedding day."

"Right," she said. "Okay. I'm ready." Her brother smiled.

"And you do look beautiful," he said. He offered her his arm and opened the door, escorting her down the aisle to wait at the altar. She took a deep breath and lined up next to William. She looked down at the other man beside him, Jesse, and smiled. The music changed and Aubrey's eyes flew to the door of the chapel.

The music was lovely, sure, but the wait was torturous. Beca and Stacie both looked beautiful. She knew that. But she was waiting for the next woman. Her woman. Suddenly she was there in the doorway.

Chloe.

There had been much debate over Chloe's wedding dress. It had taken full weekends of dress shopping and hours talking on the phone about fabrics and cuts and visits from her bridesmaids before she decided what she wanted. Aubrey hadn't wanted to see it; she wanted to be surprised. And she was.

Chloe had left her breathless on many occasions before. It was just a fact that her very-soon-to-be wife was gorgeous. But Aubrey was literally dumbstruck. She breathed a "wow," her eyes filled with tears as the redhead walked toward her, being escorted down the aisle by her father Jack. The smile on her face was radiant and sincere, as she locked eyes with Aubrey and in that moment the rest of the room became insignificant to both of them. Even halfway down the aisle she could see as Chloe's eyes filled with tears. She didn't care; her own eyes were glassy and her heart was thumping wildly.

Jack escorted her to the altar where he kissed his daughter on the cheek before leaning over and embracing Aubrey, kissing her on the cheek. "I know you'll take good care of my little girl."

"I will, I promise," she said. The celebrant began speaking. Somewhere deep down Aubrey was following along but she was too taken with Chloe's eyes, with everything about her to notice. She repeated the vows and promised to love Chloe til death parted them, slid the ring on her finger, still gazing into her face. She felt Chloe squeezing her hand as the celebrant declared them married and then told her she could kiss her bride. They stepped in toward one another. Aubrey leaned down slightly to brush her lips against that of her wife - _her wife_ \- before she murmured against her mouth, "I love you, Chloe."

"I love you, too," came the reply against her lips. They kissed again, a little longer, Chloe sliding her arms around Aubrey's neck so she could rest their foreheads together. Everyone was applauding and cheering, but the two women were simply staring into one another's eyes. Chloe giggled when she realized how long they'd been ignoring the rest of the room, pressing another quick kiss to Aubrey's lips.

"Let's go and greet the masses, shall we?" Chloe said. She clutched Aubrey's hand as the bridal party descended on them first.

After all of the talking and being kissed on their cheeks, the endless photos and posing, they were taking a quick moment together before entering the reception. Aubrey was starting to feel slightly fatigued at all of the socializing, but having Chloe by her side would undoubtedly help her make it through the evening. A waiter from inside brought them both some water while they took their private moment.

"You're so beautiful," Chloe said, gently fixing part of Aubrey's hair. "You look incredible."

"I almost had heart failure when you walked down the aisle," Aubrey said. "But I've always felt that looking at you." Chloe leaned up and left a quick kiss on her lips.

"I love you so much," she whispered. "Bree, this is the best day of my life."

"I love you, too," she replied with a smile. Beca came around the corner to check on them, so after a brief pause to drink the water, they got up and prepared themselves to enter the reception.

As Benji introduced Mrs and Mrs Beale-Posen, everyone cheered, and they linked hands to walk in together. They gripped each other's hands tightly, making their way to the table where Aubrey's brother had pulled their chairs for them. He leaned over to kiss his sister on the cheek.

"We were beginning to wonder where you were," he said.

"Just taking a moment," Aubrey said. "Feels like Chloe's the person I've spoken to least all day."

"Yeah, it was like that," he agreed. "But now you have forever." Aubrey looked over at her wife, who was chatting animatedly to Beca and Stacie.

"Yeah," she said. "Thank you for being here, William. It means a lot to have you here."

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," he said. "You're my little sister and you deserve to be happy."

The reception was a blur of speeches and music and dancing, and before long Chloe was whispering into Aubrey's ear that she wanted to go. Aubrey didn't take much convincing, because she was ready hours ago. It took them long enough to say goodbye to everyone, but eventually, mercifully, they were sliding into the backseat of the rented car and speeding off toward the hotel. Chloe slumped against Aubrey's shoulder.

"Did anyone tell you that your wedding day is literally the most exhausting day of your life?" she said. "I feel like somebody should have warned us how god damned tiring it all is. Beca, especially. She and Jesse only got married like four months ago."

"No," Aubrey said. "Nobody warned me either. But it's okay, we don't have to be anywhere tomorrow until eight pm."

"Except for late lunch with my parents," Chloe reminded her. "But that's still plenty of time to sleep in and recover. And then…"

"You and me and a private villa in Tahiti," Aubrey said. "Three whole weeks. I can't think of anything better."

"Except maybe the part where we get to be together every day for the rest of our lives," Chloe said.

"Definitely," Aubrey said. "Best thing ever." They were dropped off at the hotel and made their way to the suite they had booked, silently holding hands. Once they were in the room, they helped each other undress, pulling pins from each other's hair, untying corset backs and carefully pulling dresses away so they didn't get ruined. After that Aubrey gently embraced her wife, kissing her softly, lowering her onto the bed. Their eyes were locked on one another as Aubrey settled above her.

They had sex often. Chloe had read somewhere that the average couple had sex 2.5 times per week. After wondering how a couple had sex half a time, she gleefully pointed out that they were above average. Aubrey loved sex with Chloe. She'd never been averse to sex before, but with Chloe it was a completely different experience. And now, this moment, making love to her wife for the first time, it was better still. It wasn't even anything she could explain, apart from at this moment she had never felt as close to anyone as she did now. She could gladly give up everything to keep them in this blissful haze for as long as possible.

Chloe curled up contentedly against her body, pressing lazy openmouthed kisses to her collarbone. She hummed quietly, Aubrey's fingers tugging through her hair. This was how it was going to be now. Every day. It brought a smile to Aubrey's face, even though the redhead couldn't see it.

"I love you, Chloe," she said into the stillness of the room. "More than I know how to say."

"I love you, too, Bree," she replied, tightening an arm over her torso. "And I promise I always will."


End file.
